bmorton

I just picked up a new P5 from Probart on the weekend and I asked the sales droid how much they charged for the 8000 km service -- he said about $25. Guess that was dead wrong.

Some dealers do a thing where they pad out the factory recommended maintenance service with other things of their own, like extra inspections, to increase the amount they can charge. Could be that's what Probart's up to. A Canadian car magazine doing a long-term test of a P5 got dinged around $65 for the first service by their dealer.

Makaveli

Honestly, find out who West Coast Mazda (from Vancouver) is affiliated with as just this morning I received a call from them, asking me if I had any concerns or questions about my 16,000 km service. After paying a reasonable price, getting them to put in my choice of synthetic oil (Mobil 1), and getting a free wash and vacuum, I have nothing but best things to tell people about them. Therefore, I would recommend their dealerships if they have any there in Ontario. Very good service

I don't think that it's Mazda Canada's fault for some bad dealerships, I think it's just the dealerships themselves.

P5Scott

mebbe i should move to Ottawa

Perf, I take it u work at a Mazda dealer?

Zulu

I am not from London Scott,but fairly close.I am in Stratford(also known as St.Ratford)and we only have the one dealer on hwy8,just inside of town(St.ratford city Mazda...Big suprise on that name eh?)I think I will give them one more chance to make me happy,then after they disapoint me it is off to whoever the hell I want!
Also to ANYONE who goes to a dealer for service beware!they like to hide materials or "incidental"charges all over the place.I have worked for a few dealerships that added these charges.One added $5 per visit to cover the things like loctite or silicone,etc. when they are only using a dab( or none at all).Another place added 5% to the total cost of repairs& parts up to $50!
Making a profit is one thing I approve of,but bending the customer over the counter is not right.These people make thousands for nothing(or almost nothing in some cases).I think they should leave it to the professionals(like politicians)to screw us over.
Sorry about that...Rant over...FOR NOW...

Performance

yes I do work for a Mazda dealer, but that does not make me a bad person. Repairs and oil changes are a necessary evil, if you read your bill and something seems wrong question it. Don't fly off the handle but ask why so much for a simple oil change. If the answer does not fit complain politely and maybe your next service will be free. A service dept. won't want to lose business. Mazda Canada does want to know about bad dealers because we are ranked across the country and we do have to meet a certain minimium if we want to keep the franchise or get special attention from Mazda. This is free advice from someone who knows. If you don't feel comfortable at the dealer take your business elsewhere.

Zulu

I am not saying that ALL dealers are like I mentioned before,so don't anyone go all Crazylike on me.I was just mentioning some situations I have seen and was posting as a Warning to others to be cautious when out there.I am sure Performance is a very nice person and wouldn't dream of sticking it to any one
I have never been screwed by my Mazda dealer(just poorly dealt with)The ones I was referring to cannot be named,but I can give you their brands initials (G.M.)and you can guess from there.

Technical Itch

There will be a labour charge for an oil change because you do pay for labour, but as someone mentioned, it's usually the apprentices and/or the guys that do tires and such. For example, if you go to a CT, about 9 of the 21bucks you pay for an oil change is for labour, the cost of the parts are absorbed into the total package price. Since I work part-time at one as the back-window guy I get some perks as well as my discounts on parts and labour, I can also use the hoists to work on my car on my free time (as long as the service manager approves it). It comes in handy when I want to do oil changes as well as get some advice/help from the techs. Does anyone know which of the Mazda dealerships in Ottawa has the best record/reputation?

Performance

I will be biased on this but I think my dealership has the best service. You don't have to take my word though call Mazda Canada Customer Service and ask which dealer has the least amount of comebacks (cars not fixed right the first time). The answer will be us.